TOI: Theres a lot of madness in me!

Talk of saas on Indian television, and Apara Mehta is the first actress that comes to your mind. Such was the impact of her portrayal of Savita Virani in "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", that it is talked about even today.

The actress, who was in Vadodara for the promotion of her latest show, "Hamari Saas Leela", smiles, "I feel like the eternal saas! While I loved that role in "Kyunki...", and it was a pleasure to be the part of a show which changed the course of Indian television, I love doing comedies. As a person, there is a lot of madness in me and probably, that aspect of my personality is brought out best when I do comedies. I can have so much of fun while playing comic characters."

The jolly person in her comes to the fore when she talks about her dream role, for instance. "My dream role has always been to play a prostitute, because it will be challenging to put myself in the shoes of a character about whom I have zero knowledge and as an actor, I will have to use my imagination. However, I guess I am a little over-the-hill for that, isn't it?" she breaks into peals of laughter.

On a more serious note, she adds, "The only character that I have really loved on television in all these years is that of Dadisa in "Balika Vadhu". It's such a well etched out character! I would have loved to play it, but then I guess it would have been difficult to fit into that kind of an image."

What does she feel about reality TV, having herself been a part of a show like "Maa Exchange" in the recent past? "I was offered "Bigg Boss" twice, but I was scared. So, I thought I would give it a try and see how it feels to open up about my life in front of the entire world. It was a mixed experience, but I feel it helps to be yourself on such shows." she says.

Interestingly, she is playing a saas again in her latest show "Hamari Saas Leela". However, she says, "Compared to Savita Virani, Leela is a very different saas because she is a completely today's woman, who has no issues with her daughter-in-law being a working woman. This is the 21st century and shows have got to adjust accordingly. This is a positive character that I am playing and there are no grey shades as such. Besides, it's always wonderful to work with Asit Modi, whom I have known since my Gujarati theatre days and he is a maker with vision."

Apara, who has also been a part of films like "Devdas" and "Tees Maar Khan", has no regrets about not doing more films. "I have done films for personal reasons and equations. When people like Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Farah Khan request you to be a part of their films, you don't have to think twice before agreeing. I am very happy doing daily soaps. Can anyone deny that television is as big as films today?" she asks.

She also doesn't believe Gujarati theatre is in a sad state, and says, "It is thriving, and something with more than a century old history won't vanish overnight. But I feel the new actors should come to Mumbai and explore options, which will help."

A doting mother in real life, she signs off by saying, "My daughter is more interested in writing for plays. But if she wants to act, I will train her really well in theatre before she opts to do TV shows."